


Chasing Charcoal

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Charlie Ships It, College, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gas-N-Sip, Homelessness, Homophobia, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Hurts So Good, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, Jack Needs a Hug, Jock Clark, Lots of it, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Terminal Illnesses, i love tagging so much, this is so sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-07 02:23:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12831291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Love is complicated. The old tail of a boy loving a girl, A price and his princess. 1964 is the same. Those who don't follow the old tail are discriminated and hated on. the're lives are threatened every day. An era where homosexuality was especially vulnerable, Chasing Charcoal is the story of the love transcending time.A boy named Jack and a boy named Clark.





	Chasing Charcoal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HiImDad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiImDad/gifts).



September 3rd, 1964

-

Jack laughed with a silent chuckle, bringing his red solo cup up to cover his mouth. The smell of whiskey was strong, radiating off most of the party guest. Jack tried to avoid the booze himself, taking a sip of the flat coke in his cup. His view was escalated from his spot, atop of a cold white marbled counter. The kitchen was dimly lit, colorful lights pouring in from the main room. The group of girls in front of him giggled quietly, some leaning against the counter, others against the wall.

"So you gonna take part this round or are you too much of a sissy?" The redhead in front of him teased, gesturing her head over to Jack. Charlie was in most of his courses along with him, most of her actions are 'at the moment,' ending with someone or something breaking. She stayed along side him since his first year, no matter the countless fight the two have gotten into.

"I'd like to leave this party in one piece, thank you very much." He held back laughter, although his statement wasn't all a joke, he did want to leave without anything broken.

"C'mon dude, truth or dare?" Okay sure it was a stupid thing to play at a college party, but he would prefer to be playing this then in the sea of sweaty people on the dance floor. Charlie raised an eyebrow, giving Jack that stupid glare of hers. Her sentence was interrupted by Claire pulling him off the counter. She was shorter than Charlie, her long blond hair braided on one side, giving the illusion of a half shaved head. Her eyeliner was heavy, making her crystal blue eyes pop.

"It's The Beatles; you have to dance with me at least for this song." She begged, pulling him along. Claire's long yellow dress followed behind her, swaying with her actions. The main room was a sea of sweaty people, a film of heat radiating off the party goers. Clare looked up at him with a sweet smile, her smell of perfume was faint but present. Jack swayed a bit to the music, holding his cup high as the threat of the liquid spilling was overwhelming. She grabbed onto the brown collar of his jacket, rubbing her fingers over the patterns. She brushed a piece of his hair out of his face, giving him a long glance.

It didn’t take very long before he had lost himself in the music and the drifting movements of the other people around them. He smiled at Claire, and she bit her lip teasingly, sneaking his hands around her waist. Her pink tinted lip gloss was smudged from her earlier action. Jack stalled for a moment when his palms brushed over her dress, anxiety clawing at his lungs, threatening to stop his breathing. He trembled, settling his fingers on her body, her arms coming up over his shoulders. Jack took a breath, looking everywhere except at her, eyes glazed over. He knew how Claire felt about him. She was continually trying to get him interested, and it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t.

Jack wished, with every part of him, that he could disappear. He stiffened, rocking with her. He tried his best to be at ease. He felt that if he breathed too deep, he'd choke. Jack cautiously moved his feet with Claire's, he felt supremely out of sync. It was maddening to be so offbeat, and yet he had to keep dancing anyway, regardless of how he felt. There was a boy with thick dark hair that gave him a small smirk, waving. Oh god, he was cute. That smile, his dimples, his crystal blue eyes; they were to die for.

"It's getting late Claire; I should start my long trek back to my apartment."

"Already?! Dude, it's only 11, we have all night." She chuckled, Jack tended to be a junkie when it comes to studying, pulse he couldn't afford to retake his current course.

"I have a final tomorrow; I should have been home already." He clarified, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Jack would have preferred to leave with a simple embrace, going their separate ways. The last thing he wanted was to let down Claire.

Jack left with that, not bothering to say his goodbyes to the rest of his friends. Navigating through the crowd, he disposed of the solo cup from earlier. Once outside the autumn air nipped at his exposed skin, leaving him freezing and vulnerable. Orange and red leaves laid to rest on the ground, polling at his dark combat boots. Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets, mentally scolding himself for taking his bike to the party. The pale yellow cruiser laid against the white aging garage, in the same condition he left it in. Thank whatever god there was.

Frat parties were never to be trusted; many ended with the cops or damage to property. Also, a bunch of drunks wouldn't give two shits about wrecking his bike. They would just do it. Jack was never really a partyer; he would go to the occasional birthday party, but that was about it. Parties usually took place in the frat houses, but it wasn't uncommon to have a party in the middle of the campus grounds during early summer.

Jack mounted his bike, shivering when his hands touched the cold metal. His breaths came out swirling, visible to the human eye. The bike was a real beauty, almost good as new. Although the bike had a few charcoal stains in the white leather accents, it still was perfect. He raced down the driveway, making a sharp turn. The small LED light on the front of his bike acted like a headlight, lighting up his way. An abyss seemed to loom in front of him, stretching for miles. Jack let his eyelids fall shut for a moment, taking in the chill night sky, the way everything was pitch silent like he was the only person on earth. Just him, the night, and the subtle squeaking of his bike.

Something felt faulty, a pit in his lungs perhaps. Coals burned into his lungs, seeping needles spiking throughout his body. The urge to get air into his lungs was unbearable. The breaks of his bike screeched as Jack can to an abrupt stop. He gulped gallons of fresh air, the thumping of his heart has died down.

An engine roared, clogging up his throat for a brief moment. It was a dark motorbike, Black with tiny crimson accents. The accents looked seemingly similar to the blood pumping through your veins at any given moment. Frightening thought real.

"Shit! you okay man?" The voice was heavy, loud enough to be heard over the engine. It was that boy, the one from the party.

Jack took a few moments to put together his surrounding, "Uh, yeah. I'll be fine." He shouted over the engine, barely audible.

"There's a diner like a street down from here; I'll get you water -You look like you're going to faint.-"

He cut the engine, demounting the bike. His slicked back charcoal hair blended into the night, long and curly. "Its Clark Barker, no need to thank me." He announced, smirking. Red jacket, Red sneakers, Red bike. This guy must really like the color Red.

Clark walked alongside his motorbike, not wanting to abandon it for obvious reasons. "You gonna come or not?" He chuckled, pausing in his tracks.

Jack nodded, jogging his bike over to where Clark stood. He took a moment to look up into the abyss above him, small stars twinkled, lighting up the sky. "So you're one of those people." Clark snickered, watching Jack stargaze. The immediate comment had Jack jumping out of his skin.

Wow did this guy talk a lot.

By the time Jack realized they had gone way past his apartment, he was too caught up in the moment to say anything. At this point, he had the vague belief that Clark probably had any intentions on bringing him home. He licked his lips, letting his grip on his bike loosen.

Butterflies swelled in his stomach if he'd have opened his mouth they would burst out and fly away.

Jack watched the occasional car drive by, headlights beaming on the road in front of it. It felt people followed them, stalked right behind him, it was only for a moment before they kept walking. In a random burst of anxiety, Jack worried that someone would "Like them. Maybe jump him or something. His nerves calmed with the understanding that it was dark, – besides, all the people who knew him were back at the party.

"Have a lock?"

Jacks eyebrows furrowed, "Pardon?"

"Like to lock up your bike; you know what that is right? A lock." Clark walked his motorbike into one of the many parking spots. The car park seemed to be empty, as was the diner.

"Oh, I usually just leave it outside. No one wants to take a bike in such a bad condition." He explained, resting his bike against the building. The diners lights flickered, neon yellows and blues.

Clark snickered, pushing open the diner doors with ease. A small bell chimed to life. The blinding lights seemed to give the atmosphere a soft, warm glow compared to the nipping freeze of the outside air. "Jody!" Clark called out, an older woman behind the counter turned to the call, smiling softly.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" She chuckled, finishing up her previous action. "What can I do for you boys?"

"The usual, fries and water for the kid." Clark spoke, pointing to Jack.

"First of all, I'm not a kid. Second, I have no cash." he huffed. Jack wasn't the one to typically correct someone, but he barely knew the guy. His eyes stayed focused on the raven-haired as he plopped down in one of the booths. Clark's lips curled slightly at the edge, he pulled out a cigar, lighting it.

This guy, seriously.

Jack carefully sat opposite from Clark, hands tangled together. "Why are you doing this? you don't even know my name."

The question hung in the air, neither of them addressing it. Clark seemed at ease, like the diner was home to him. He blew smoke out the side of his mouth, eyes examining his facial expression. "You'll like the food here."

Suddenly irritated with how presumptuous the whole situation was. Sitting in a diner with a cute boy he just met. Wait, scratch that. A standard, creepy boy that could be a murder. He just wanted to ride home, that's all. Where was he thought, out of his comfort zone in a stupid diner with the idiot smiling at him to blame.

“I guess.” Jack responded dully.

Clark looked at him with hooded, lazy eyes smoothing over Jacks face and then down, to where the table cut his torso off. Jack cleared his throat not wanting to give Clark any ideas.

“Know about me?” Clark pursued, his smirk back, careless and curious. He pulled on his cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke in Jack's face. His nose wrinkled at the awful smell, backing up.

“Not much.”

“That’s surprising,” Clark exclaimed, a little more animated. he tapped out his cigar in the ashtray on the table, smirking. “Most people know all about me. But you don’t look like the usual. You must live in the library.”

“I’m in Pre-Med,” Jack interjected and Clark grinned, bared his teeth, almost like he was impressed or something. "My third year to be exact."

There was a pause, Jack glanced behind Clark, watching cars pass by through the windows. "So what's your story?"

Jack was taken aback. His story? Whats that suppose to mean? He's like everyone else, made it through high school alive, goes to college, and pretends to like girls. Okay, maybe the last one isn't common, but you get the idea.

"You don't even know my name."

"Tell me then."

Jack narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, but Clark didn't falter at all. He just sat there, watching him. Clark observed him made his throat a desert, scratchy and burning.

"Jack."

Clark hummed in response, watching Jody hand them their food. He had a simple water and small basket of fries while Clark had a coke and some fries. He shrugged at Jack eyeing his food, "I'll pay for it, is it okay?"

"Oh um yeah, it's fine."

"You have a girl back home? Like a girlfriend."

"Even if I did why do you care?'

"Little liar, a cute one at that though." Clark teased, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were predatorial like he could tear Jack to shreds in seconds. Which he probably could. Jack wasn't necessarily the toughest guy on campus; a flower could knock this kid over. Like seriously. Jacks face flushed bright red, moving as far away from Clark as possible. "I know your queer; you don't have to pretend your not."

Jack was paralyzed, a deer caught in the headlight of an oncoming car. His stomach was a bag of bleach, the threat of burbling up and burning his throat raw. He did like Clark; he was reasonably attractive. There was something about him, just something that made him feel safe, despite all the negative annotations Jack had against him earlier. Clark leaned in, almost like he was about to tell a secret, something that would threaten their safety if spoken aloud, "I know you like me, Jack Kline."

Jack to a breath, standing up. He made it a few feet away from the booth before collapsing onto the cold checkered tile.

 

September 4th, 1964

-

 A small thud filled the dim lit above him, room quiet none the less, "Mph- Hello?' Jack called out trying his best attempt to sit up.

"Okay don't sit up. Also please don't freak out. I'm Clark; I met you last night when you were riding home from that party. I was at the party too, so that you know not some stalker. You looked upset when you left, -and I thought you were adorable- so I followed you. I know you don't like girls because of your friend, the redhead, She told me you like boys and that you were 'Checking me out.' A few weeks ago.- Also to bring up, you like tripped or something and knocked yourself out at the diner we went to. Oh, and you're in your house, like in your room -The girl you were dancing with, Claire, Jody's daughter, gave me a spare key. Told her I was a friend of yours.-" Clark rushed, leaning over to see if Jacks eyes were open.

Jack grumbled, wiping his eyes. He sat up, ignoring Clark original instructions. His hands grasped at the blanket under himself, his vision swirled. Jack furrowed hid brown looking up to Clark. He took a deep breath in, intending to regain his conciseness. It wasn't long before he chocked to the air, earning a startled glance from Clark. His lungs thumped like they were being stomped on, crushed by a metal maddle. He clenched onto the blanket tightly, taking another gasp of air, the torture subsiding.

Jacks eyes glanced over to where Clark was sitting, the big black beanbag that was plowed into the corner of white, paint chipped room, reading one of his Pre-Med books.

"What time is it?"

"3:36 a.m." Clark replied, breathing out a chuckle. "Can I turn on your radio? It's boring." He huffed placing the book on the worn wooden floor. Clark reached over the clunky washed out tan radio that sat on his desk, turning on a random station.

Why'd this guy; Clark. He's not just some guy. He's the guy that bought him dinner and looked after him for the night. Jack couldn't wish for anything more, than just a touch. Just a taste of his lips, a breath of fresh air.

 _'_ _I see a red door and I want it painted black_  
No colors any more, I want them to turn black  
I see the girls walk by, dressed in their summer clothes  
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes  
  
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black  
With flowers and my love both never to come back  
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away  
Like a newborn baby, it just happens every day'

Oh, how this song drifted through the air, Jack and Clark humming along to the familiar tone. "This is my favorite song, ya know?" Jack peered, wrapping himself tightly in his blanket, regaining as much heat as possible. The chill clawed at the sides of his exposed face, nose and cheeks tinted cherry.

Clark came up behind him, embracing him in another blanket. Reds and yellows weaved into a seemingly simply pattern.

He pulled the blanket over both of there shoulders; holding Jack close. He would pay anything to stay in this moment, next to Jack, all warm and comfy. He planted a soft kiss on his cheek, brushing a small piece of hair out of his face.

Clark tilted his head as to hear the song better, nodding slightly to the hum of the old radio. Jack closed his eyes, letting the song flow through the room. Clark carefully laced his fingers with the younger boy, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"So this is your favorite song?"

Jack nodded, eyes still closed. Clark gave a small hum back, as in approval of the song.

"I've heard this one before, The Rolling Stones right?"

"I don't know what makes me love it so much; it's just different. Kinda like how you're different, a good different though."


End file.
